4GO 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec. i, 1894. 
MAKOGOPIPE AND LIBERIAN COFFEE. 
We have seen a curious collection of Liberian coffee 
cherries showing in some cases 5 or 6 separate beans, 
picked from Mr. Munton's trees on Wiharagama 
These are, perhaps, the oldest trees (14 years) in the 
island and they are bearing very satisfaciorily, the 
crop being gathered for nine months of the year, 
while Mr. Munton is gradually overcoming the pulping 
difficulty. 
But it is the fine sample of Marogopipe coffee 
that is most attractive : the seed is fully GO per cent 
larger than ordinary Arabian with very fine beans, 
and the trees are stout and vigorous. We are glad 
to learn that there is quite a demand for plants and 
seed of this kind from Wiharagama, shewing that 
patches, at least, of coffee are being quietly planted 
up throughout the country. Mr. Munton is quite a 
public benefactor for having stuck to his coffee so 
faithfully, and for having done so much with new 
kinds. 
SELANGOR PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 
Part of Minutes of a General Meeting of the 
Selangor Planters' Association, held on Saturday, the 
15th of September, 1894, at 10-30 a.m. Present : 
Mr. E. V. Carey, Chairman, Mr. H. Hiittenbach, 
Hon. Secretary, Messrs. Porcher, Lake and Ste- 
phenson, Members of Committee, and Messrs. Nicholas, 
Xambusami Pillai, Gibson, Nisset, Skinner. Mitchell, 
Bailey, J. Glassford and R. Meikle. 
5. Proposed by Mr. Carey, seconded by Mr. Tam- 
busami Pillay, that the nuisance of ill-educated and 
disreputable petition writers now pursuing their 
calling in the town of Kuala Lumpur is becoming 
intolerable and that the Government be asked, if 
petition writers are to be allowed at all, to sanction 
the issue of licenses only to men possessing such 
qualifications as will ensure their practising their 
vocation in an efficient and respectable manner. 
Carried unanimously. 
6. Proposed by Mr. Carey, seconded by Mr. 
Hiittenbach that owing to the existing Government 
Orders debarring lawyers from practising in Selangor, 
and the consequent difficulty experienced in obtaining 
sound legal advice, the interests of investors are, in 
the opinion of the Association, seriously jeopardised, 
and further, that this want of protection is keeping 
capital out of the State, which might otherwise be 
invested in the country ; that the urgent need for 
relief in this direction be brought to the notice of the 
Government, and that, as a remedial measure, the 
Government be asked to permit a limited number of 
thoroughly qualified legal advisers to practise in 
this State. 
Amendment. — Proposed by Mr. Bailey seconded by 
Mr. Tambusami Pillay, that instead of asking ten 
Government to admit lawyers into the^ State as a 
body, the scale of petition writers' fees be increased 
to such an extent as to offer inducement to legal 
advisers to settle in the State. 
The amendment on being put to the vote was lost 
and the original motion carried by 10 votes to 4. 
7. Proposed by the Chairman, seconded by the 
Hon. Secretary (on behalf of the Committee) 
that Mr. T. H. Hill be asked to meet the 
Committee of the Selangor Planters' Association 
to decide definitely what steps should be 
taken in connection with the formation of a large 
Central Association.— Carried unanimously. 
TEA IN INDIA. 
The great idea in certain quarters now is to 
manipulate the shares in tea gardens so as to make 
them look more attractive to the innocent public — 
Amalgations, Preference and ordinary shares, and 
so forth. The Grob Tea Company, that has paid 
on dividend of 3 per cent during the last 15 years 
is to have its capital divided into half preference 
and ordinary shares. The former to be cumulative 
6 per cent. The Punkabarrie and second Fallodhi 
gardens are to be amalgamated on the basis of a 
R50 share for every Punkabarrie and a R30 sh,are 
for every Secona Fallodhi. This will total up about 
R150.000, and this sum is to be divided into two 
parts, of which half will be preferance and half 
ordinary. The Tea industry is an undoubtedly sound 
one, but the good old maxim of careat emptor should 
be borne in mind by investors — especially if they have 
in view the contingency of wishing to borrow money 
on their shares. — Calcutta Car., " Pioneer," Nov. 6. 
THE NEW TEA PACKER 
We have had placed ftt our disposal the follow- 
ing report on the working of the Davidbon- 
Maguire Tea Packer during its preliminary trial 
at Henfolil Estate, Lindula, Ceylon, on tlie 3rd 
of November, 1894 :— 
Speed in Size of Grade. Descrip- Quantity Time re- 
vil. per chest. tion of packed quired. 
min. jtade. per cheat. 
2,300 .. a, H.IV I Fine, well made. *1 171 3 mill. 
2,120 .. 5 „ J- eoBMining wiry nej «} ., 
2,000 .. £ „ J unbroken O. V. llsf 3 „ 
2,280 . . -~ V. „ M 3 „ 
2.000 1 „ Hold, well made 9U 8 „ 
2,000 •* „ „ 95J 2 ,. 
* The variation in the quantity packed per chest in the 
B.P.'s is due to the size ofthe chest being slightly different. 
The above table shows the working of the machine 
during its preliminary trial, and in comparison with 
ordinary hand packing of the same teas its working 
is as follows : — 
Taking the first three experiments made with 
broken pekoe, the above table shows an average of 
117 lb. packed in each chest. When packing the 
same teas by hand xhakitKj 110 lb. were packed into 
each chest, and in order to do so in many cases the 
last two or three pounds had to be pressed in by 
hand, in order to make the chest contain them ; 
while, in other cases, one or two pounds had to 
be taken out in order to bring the chest to its 
correct weight, i.e. 110 lb. With machine packing 
we therefore stand 7 lb. per chest to the good over 
hand shaking. This is equal to 6'3f per cent or a 
saving of C3J chests per thousand. The actual figures 
for this estate show an annual saving of 89 chests in 
this one grade of tea alone, which is equal to an 
equivalent saving in ocean freight of about R267, and 
to this saving may be added the cost of the tea 
chests, lead and reduction in transport charges from 
the estate to the shipping port. 
Looking at the second three experiments, that is, 
those made with Pekoe, we have an average of 96 lb. 
packed per chest. This result has to be compared with 
teas trampled into the chest by coolies. By trampling, 
100 lb. are packed in each chest — 4 lb. more than by 
machine packing. However, on turning out a chest 
which had been packed by trampling in the best 
manner, arid on re-sifting it. a considerable quantity 
of dust and broken tea was obtained. Similar 
teas were packed two or three times over in the 
packer, without making a grain of dust or breaking 
the teas in any way. By using the packer, in addi- 
tion to the direct saving in ocean freight, costs of 
chests, tea-lead. etc.. in the case of the larger and 
more important proportion of fine teas, and the 
reduction in labour required for packing, the follow- 
ing advantages are of importance : — 
(1.) During the packing operation the chest 
receives about two thousand vibrations per minute, 
which causes the tea to settle down firmly and 
tightly, without in any way breaking it or making 
dust. 
(2.) The machine packs so equally and regularly 
that, with tea of one quality and bulk, each chest 
of the same size contains almost exactly the same 
weight of tea, thus reducing to a minimum the 
difficulty in taring and weighing tea chests for ship- 
ment. This item is most important, if economy is to 
be effected in the duty payable to the Customs 
and in London warehouse charges. (See circular 
issued by Messrs. George White and Company, en- 
titled " Notes for the Tea Factory," and dated April 
1894.) 
(3.) As the teas, after having been packed, are 
n -exactly the we condition as they were immediately 
after re-bulking in the factory, all necessity for re« 
